The Life of an Overpowered Elf

The company of five was quick to get out of the city, beginning their little quest by going back down the same brick-laden path Billie and Zoey had entered from. The town was soon long behind them. Gunter was in the front, Billie was next to Gale, Zoey was behind them, and Vern was in the back.

"So, what business do you have in Ozama?" Vern asked as he gave Zoey and Billie a once over, his eyes lingering on her staff with a frown, "Going to go bother some Nobel about marriage to help pay off the debt that staff left you in,"

"If you don't mind me asking, what's your obsession with my staff?" She looked back at him curiously. He looked at the amethyst gem that made up the staff, the decorative design of the top, and the swirling blue orb on the end.

"My problem is some random chick in rags has such a high-quality weapon but is too scared of the big bad world to venture out alone," Vern spat. "there's no greater way to waste an excellent weapon than by placing it in the hands of a coward,"

"What makes you think I'm scared of the big bad world?" Billie demanded, "I'll have you know I simply have a bad sense of direction; the quest was to guide me, not protect me,"

"Sure," Gale said, rolling her eyes. "We'll make sure to inquire your aid if we get ambushed or attacked by anything then,"

"Zoey and I will happily assist without being asked," Billie said. As they neared a corner, Billie remembered the bandits she had tasked Zoey with exterminating. I don't know if this is relevant to the conversation, but there seems to be a fair amount of death around the next bend." The Party came to a halt, and Gunter looked back at Billie.

"Human, Monster, or Ferals?" He asked. 

"Human corpses," Billie noted, Unsure what the third option even was, "Couldn't tell ya what did 'em in, though,"

Gunter tapped his stick on the ground and widened his eyes. "She right," He confirmed.

"Look at you," Gale said with a laugh, "actually being able to use your expensive stick," Gale turned to Gunter with a serious look. "What do you want us to do?"

"These parts of the forest aren't safe," Gunter decided instantly, "We'll have to pass through and hope the Pig Goblins have already picked the sight clean,"

"What's a Pig Goblin?" Zoey asked, saving Billie from having to ask the same question.

"They're what happens when Feral Goblins get it on with Pigs," Vern replied. "It used to be a real problem before a nationwide decree required the Pig farms to be inside the cities; the local population should die out within the next few years. They're parasites, just like greedy pigs. They can eat bone and all, and they hunt in packs of twenty or so,"

"Wait, if you don't know about Pig Goblins, what got you so scared you needed an adventuring party to escort you across the border?" Gale demanded, "The Pig Goblins killed off the feral Goblin population almost a decade ago,"

"First, I was lost, not scared, and if I was scared, it was due to stories of an angry Centar running around," Billie avoided looking Gunter in the eye, as lying to someone while making eye contact was something she found personally difficult, "He was freed from a decades-long Soul bind and is fairly pissed at humans in general,"

"Why, I've heard that same rumor," Gunter replied as they continued moving. "Seems that Bratt Jacob Razzor got his comeuppance; they found him beaten to near death. He's still alive but unlikely to regain the use of his left hand,"

"What a shame," Billie felt Vern's gaze on the back of her head again and figured he had taken her sarcastic words at face value. Upon rounding the corner, they found the bricks before them clean and clear, save for a single severed arm.

"That is the most obvious trap I have ever seen," Billie confidently declared.

"What do you mean?" Gunter asked as he looked at the arm.

"There's a severed arm in the rod, yet the rest of the road is also completely spotless; something is hoping to catch someone who would investigate the odd situation off guard,"

"Sure," Vern said. "Listen, Pig goblins aren't that smart but are the smartest Ferals around; you're just being paranoid,"

"Then I'll go kick it out of the road," Billie marched forward to do just that. And if nothing happens, you can boast all you like." Billie left the group, and they watched as she walked up to the hand. Before she reached it, she jumped back as a small spear sailed through the air and hit the ground where she would have been standing had she not backed up; she heard the worst noise she had ever had the displeasure to hear, a pig squeal with a Goblin vocal tone.

A total of 24 fuzzy brown Goblins with tusks began emerging from the trees. Some had hooves, and some had feet, some had pig noses, some had long pointed goblin noses, and some had longish tails with tufts of fur.

"These are Boar Goblins," Billie complained. "I was promised Pig Goblins,"

"Seems life finds a way," Vern noted in disgust. "It would seem our Pig problem was silently turned into a Boar Problem,"

"That would explain the basic trap," Gunter noted. "the more a feral race evolves, the smarter they become! Billie, come back and group up; we don't know how intelligent they are," Billie took a step closer to the severed arm instead as the path to Gunter was struck with multiple spears.

Several of the Boar Goblins Squealed at them, making Billie flinch. "Oh, I hate everything about all of you," she decided as the creatures moved in.

The boldest of the Boar Goblins ran towards Billie with a raised spear, only to be cut down by an Arrow impaling itself into its face.

"Nasty ferals," Vern said. Zoey, stay back. Your clothing provided the least amount of protection. Gale, cover her!"

"Do as he says, Zoey," Billie said when she saw the defiant look on Zoey's face. Zoey stood complacent, and Gale looked at her. Then, she glared at Billie as she set up a protective barrier around herself.

"Now would be a great time to jump in," She noted.

"Yeah, but I typically don't like to kill things just because they look gross," Billie said with a shiver as the Ferals began licking at the Barrier as their eyes explored Billie's body like it was a freshly baked Pie. "Lucky they're gross inside and out, so my dilemma is solved," 

Billie Spun her staff before remembering she no longer had a blade and instead used the sharpish end of it to whack the creatures if they got too close to her Barrier; after she got one in the eye, they backed away from her and decided to focus on Gunter and Vern, Gunter held up his wooden staff and whipped it across the air, a green liquid spilled out in front of him.

"Acid Downpour," The Ferals stopped and took great care not to touch the puddle.

"I'm fairly sure they have a limited understanding of words," Billie noted. "That or they know what acid is and to avoid it,"

"Seems so," Gunter agreed as he held up his staff and fired a concentrated ball of Acid at the Boar Goblins, who scattered to avoid it; one made it past Gunter and ignored him due to the threat of Acid; Vertoowas to busy swearing about not having a sword as he jabbed his knife into the eye of one of the ferals that had come from the trees straight to them, his knife broke when he tried to pull it out, forcing him to swat at them with his bow. The Boar Goblin who had gotten through was running towards Zoey as she looked to be the most exposed.

"Zoey, you may kick the shit out of it," Billie noted; Zoey shot past Gale and punted the Goblin; the small creature hit Billie's barrier, and she jabbed at it to make sure it was dead. Gunter and Gale had given Vern some distance from the creatures, allowing him to shoot at them; however, only a few hits managed to be a killing blow.

"We've only killed like five of these little fucks," Vern noted.

"Zoey," Billie called out, deciding she had taken enough time to observe how hard she was permitted to go, "Summon your axes and join the front line," Zoey reached into her inventory and pulled out her axes.

"She has weapons, and you forbid her from fighting?" Gale demanded as she drew her sword. "Oh, this chick rubs me the wrong way," Gale joined in the fight and began hacking away at the Boar Goblins.

"She's only wearing rags," Billie muttered, repeating Vern's concern from the start of the fight. She dropped her barrier and walked up to the back line before tapping her staff and placing a circle beneath most of the remaining boar goblins.

"Pillar of flames," she said simply. The boar goblins turned to her as the magic activated, killing most of them. One managed not to get caught in the spell and jumped at Billie, its tongue flapping out. It was smacked downward into the flames with ease.

With most of them dead, the remaining 4 Boar Goblins attempted to flee; Zoey slashed two of them down, Vern put an Arrow in the back of one's head, and Gunter nailed the last one with acid.

Billie wiped her shoulder off and knew what Vern was about to do. Once close enough, he pulled his fist back and decked Billie in the face, who allowed the attack to send her sprawling across the ground.

"I'm not working for this bitch," Vern snarled, "Don't attack my ass!"

"She is wearing rags; you said as much yourself," Billie repeated as she picked herself up and patted her chest. "And if you truly want to ditch me, you're more than welcome. The Guild warned me you'd probably do as much; the punch was expected to,"

"Of course, they fucking did," Vern said as he angrily kicked the ground.

"Vern," Gunter said sternly; Billie saw what Gunter was about to do and stopped him.

"No need to smack him," Billie told Gunter, who stopped. "I've been punched by far worse than that,"

"That is true," Zoey replied, very clearly wanting to smack Vern.

"Vern," Gunter repeated. "We have a job to do, like it or not; we can't keep quitting on jobs just because you don't like someone, so man up and keep going, or you'll never pay off that tab, and we'll be stuck going back to that town forever," Bree could tell from Gunter's voice and Gale's glaring that she had acquired the animosity of all three of them.

"She is wearing rags," Billie gave up pointing that fact out since, in truth, the reason for Zoey hanging back was to try limiting her strength to what humans were capable of, "at least she knows how hard she's allowed to go now,"

"Shall we carry on then?" Billie motioned down the path.

"Since your staff works so well, how about you take the lead," Gale replied.

"K, just tell me if I somehow end up taking us the wrong way." Billie took the lead. The three very visibly began protecting Zoey and left Billie to defend herself.

"Why do you follow that Woman?" Vern demanded. "You're plenty strong on your own, hell I bet you could make rank four in any guild easy,"

"I would follow her to the end of the earth," Zoey replied, having been told not to call Billie Lord, My Lady, or Mistress while she was Billie.

"Why?" Gunter inquired "She doesn't seem to respect you all that much,"

"My reasons are my own," Zoey responded curtly; the group of three fell back a little, and Gunter lightly tapped his stick on the ground.

"What do you think?" he asked, having cast a spell that allowed his allies to hear his thoughts and theirs.

"Some sort of enslavement spell," Vern replied as he eyed Billie's staff, "That's most likely why she has that crazy staff; I'm betting we break that we can be certain if Zoey is free or not,"

"Yeah," Gale shot back, "but that staff is high quality; I tried appraising it, but all I got was that its too powerful for me to appraise; I'd rather not foot the bill to replace it,"

"We must not act rash," Gunter declared simply. "We do not know this woman or where she came from; what's more, it's rare for humans to use that kind of magic on another human. I've never seen a slave driver use their race for labor,"

"You right," Galre agreed. "what we should look for is to see if Zoey is glamoured, if she is. Then it's a near guarantee this Billie is a monster slave driver,"

"And if she is, then we are helping her make her next delivery," Vern gritted his teeth as they continued walking down the road.

"I sense they dislike us," Zoey noted, using the same spell Winnie was fond of using to communicate with her master.

"No, they dislike me," Billie noted casually. "They like you just fine." Unaware that she was thought to be a slave driver, Billie continued walking the path before them.

After several hours of nothing but walking, Billie conceded that she had drastically underestimated the size of the road. The night was already falling, and there were no towns in sight.

"Say," Billie looked at the long road ahead. "How far away is Ozama?"

"It's about four days to Greenwater," Gunter said; his dislike for her was evident in his eyes, but his tone was still just as polite as when they first met. She assumed he was trying to remain professional, "Past that it should only be two days to the city of Reopes, the capital of Ozama,"

"Hu," Billie scratched with her free hand, unconsciously scratching at the scar on her false face, "I suppose roads never go straight to your desired destination, so taking them would take longer than cutting across the forest in a straight line," 

"I see a good break in the treeline," Vern said. There's a sold outcropping of rocks with a clearing in it. What say we make camp and call it a night?"

"That is up to Billie," Gunter replied. "She paid for our service, so we must do as she demands until we complete our task, Within reason,"

Billie felt personally insulted that he felt the need to add the 'Within reason' part, "I don't personally care if you wanna make camp, then we can make camp,"

"Alright," Gunter noted. "But keep in mind, something tore up the road a ways back, and we don't know what it was or where it went; we'll need to assign a watch,"

"Since she's so sure of herself, I recommend Billie," Gale said.

"Sure," not needing sleep, Billie had no problem with the job. The group moved into the small clearing hidden snugly in the rocky outcropping, and Gunter tapped his staff; three Tents were summoned. Billie followed suit and summoned her tent; it had been used as a customizable revive point in the game; upon looking at it, she was sure she had been dangerously addicted to the game as she had spent real money on something as pointless as a cosmetic to make her tent look more extravagant.

"Nice Tent," Gale muttered as she eyed the tent three times the size of her own.

"Everything Billie owns is nice," Zoey replied instantly with a smile. Gunter tapped his staff, and a campfire was set up along with a little rack holding up a hanging pot to cook in. He tapped again, and nothing happened.

"Gunter," Gale said in a chastising tone, "Tell me you didn't forget the rations again!"

"No worries," Billie reached into her inventory; having stocked up upon leaving Greenwater, she produced several live Green Crabs that fell to the ground, "I hate going hungry, so I always try to have something on hand for dinner,"

"Hold up," Vern said as he picked up the Crab that waved its claw at him threateningly. "If you have these suckers, you must have been to Greenwater before; what did your previous guides abandon you?"

"Nothing like that; I just got lost and went the wrong way," Billie smiled. "With your help, I might make it to the right nation this time,"

"So are you going to Ozama for any special things, or are you just doing that thing where you switch adventurer teams at every nation to lower the total cost?" Gale asks, eyeing Billie with skepticism.

"I've just never been to Ozama and wanted to see what it was like," Billie felt that the trio didn't believe her, "What did I even do? having Zoey hold back couldn't have made them this mad!" Billie tried to figure out a reason behind the hostility aimed towards her while she used her magic to pull water from the air and fill the pot, leaving her less-than-hospitable guides to cook the Crabs

Zoey stood next to her diligently as Billie groaned in visible confusion, a look Zoey had never expected to see on her master's face, even if it was a false one.

"What is wrong, my lady?" Zoey asked after confirming that the sound of their guide's cooking would drown herself and Billie out.

"I can not for the life of me figure out why they're this mad at me. I could understand the irritation of me telling you to hold back, but this is just ridiculous," Billie sighed.

"Why not just ditch them?" Zoey asked, curious as to why her master was still playing along with this silly campaign.

"No, I wanna see how much work everyone can get done in four days without me around to boss them around." That was a Lie; she simply didn't want to admit she might have wasted an entire day wandering around lost.

"A Brilliant plan," Zoey agreed, "With you gone, they won't have to worry about praising you and will instead put their all into their task; they should get through twice the work they would otherwise get done,"

"Of course," Billie declared, lying through her teeth, "How very observant of you; I know for a fact that Winnie would be proud," Zoey smiled at her words.

"Thank you, my lady,"

"I speak only the truth," Billie replied. "Except when I don't." Billie looked to the sky momentarily, wondering about constellations before returning to the campsite. " Let's go eat; you haven't had green crab yet, have you?"

Billie and Zoey found the Crabs already done cooking, and their guides were sitting on logs around the boiling pot; Vern was eating some claw meat, Gunter had gone the direct route and was working on de-shelling two crab torsos, and Gale was munching on a leg, Zoey and Billie both took some crab legs and began eating.

"Wow!" Zoey cried out. This truly is delectable." Billie paid no mind and looked out at the stars, determined to memorize their positions and wonder if she could create a constellation; with Bee focused on the stars, she failed to see Zoey take her desire for Crab legs too far as she proceeded to do the same thing Daisy had done and began breaking the shells with her teeth. Lost in flavor, she wasn't paying attention when her tail came unwound for a moment and wagged at the new flavor.

"By the gods," Gunter said, keeping his words in his thoughts. "She has a tail!"

"And she's eating the shell," Gale pointed out. "Kind of an obvious giveaway that she isn't human; a normal person would break their teeth on that,"

"Oh crap!" Zoey realized as she hurriedly rewound her tail around her waist. "I hope Mistress Bree didn't see that!" Zoey continued eating as though nothing had happened, not even thinking to see if the humans had seen her slip up.

"So, are we kicking this chick's ass or what?" Vern demanded as she put his hand where his knife had once been, "Oh Son of a…regardless, that punch I gave her earlier is beginning to make me feel like I was a little too polite before,"

"We do nothing," Gunter decided without hesitation, "I am not going to fight a woman with a monster under her employ haphazardly; we take her to Reopes. Reopes has a zero-tolerance policy for slavery, as decreed by demon lord Argit. Gale, that armor lets you contact your wife, doesn't it,"

"Yeah, why?" Gale demanded, looking at Gunter.

"Because last I checked, your wife was under contract in Reopes; that is why you demanded we take this job, was it not?" Gale didn't reply and instead turned a light shade of red, "Please contact her and tell her we are taking a suspected Slave driver to Reopes; as it was Argit who had her contracted, I'm sure she can get a fair number of guards to meet us, and they should be more than capable of taking care of Ms.Billie should she be who we think she is,"

The Trio looked at Billie in silence. Although no words were said, she could feel their hate directed at her.

"What did I do?" She demanded, utterly bewildered by their hatred.